August
7, 2005
By
Brian Newhook
Weather:
Sunny, 24 degrees C
Trip Length: 4 hrs total
Paddlers: Brian Newhook, Stephen Newhook, Trent Hardy
Our
paddle route is marked in red (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
This
kayaking trip was somewhat of a fluke. A few days before hand, Trent had been
driving along the Baccelieu Trail and noticed the coastline in the area around
Kingston was quite beautiful, with a lot of cliffs and outcroppings of rocks, so
he couldn’t help but go down to a nearby beach and do some exploring. He
discovered some amazing areas and a few caves and sea arches. He called me the
next day and insisted we revisit the area and explore it more thoroughly. Boy am
I glad we did!
Kingston
is about 20 minutes north of Carbonear on the Baccelieu Trail. A few hundred
meters before entering Kingston, there is a small gravel road on the right hand
side of the highway. If you look down this road, you will see a few cabins and a
beach. This is Spout Cove and where we launched. The road is a little rough,
with lots of jutting rocks, but my Malibu got down there without any grief. If
your vehicle is very low to the ground, be very careful or you may leave your
muffler behind!
There
is a small parking area, just before the first cabin, on the left hand side. We
offloaded the boats and got ready for a great day of paddling. There wasn’t a
breath of wind and the sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky. Perfect. There
is a short trek down over the bank to the beach.
Stephen and Trent gearing up (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Myself and Stephen on the beach in Spout Cove (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Spout
Cove beach looking towards Kingston (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
There were breaking waves on the beach, which required a surf launch, so be prepared for this. In a few minutes we were in the water and past the breaking waves without incident. We paddled down the coastline, away from Kingston, as this was where Trent had been a few days before. The cliffs in the area are amazing, and there were lots of sea birds in the area, with nests all along the cliff sides. It was fun to watch them fly over head and dive for food. Watch out for bird doo-doo though, as lots of it splashed in the water around me when they flew overhead.
Cliffs in Spout Cove (thumbnails - click on images to enlarge)
Trent
showed us the first sea cave that he had discovered. It is located in a small
rocky island about 15 minutes from the beach. It is in the center of the island,
and you can paddle through it and come out the other side. There can be a lot of
swell, so you have to be careful with timing your paddle through the cave. If
the tide is too low, there is a huge white swell that washes through the cave,
making it impassable. This is what we saw on our way back, so we weren’t able
to go through again.
First sea cave, the black in the middle of the rock (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
First
sea cave, on the opposite side (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Continuing
along the coastline, we were amazed by all the steep cliffs and rocky coastline.
There are lots of little nooks and crannys to explore. The swells can be a bit
much near the cliffs and the seas can get confused and a bit choppy, even if
there is no wind, as we were experiencing. There are also lots of sunkers to
watch out for, and sometimes we found ourselves surfing down a breaking wave as
it broke over a sunker that we hadn’t noticed. If you enjoy surfing, there are
a few neat spots where this can be done along this route. We then decided to
head out to explore Ochre Pit Rock, just off the coastline.
Ochre Pit Rock (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Ochre
Pit Rock, the backside (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
There
are more sunkers and breaking waves in the area around Ochre Pit Rock that you
have to be careful of, and if you aren’t careful, you can get taken on quite a
ride.
After
a look around Ochre Pit Rock, we headed back the way we came, towards Kingston.
There is a beautiful beach just before Kingston were we decided to stop for a
little lunch. We couldn’t believe the luck we were having with the weather; it
couldn’t be a better day. A small pleasure boat came near the beach and bid us
good day. I think they wanted to come ashore, but weren’t sure how. After a
few minutes they took off again. I must admit, I enjoy the freedom of a kayak
more when I see that sort of thing. There is something I really enjoy about
moving under my own power and going where most other boats can’t go.
On the beach near Kingston, lunch time! (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Looking
back towards Spout Cove (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
We
finished our lunch and decided to do a little beach combing, where we found an
inflated beach ball. This provided a little entertainment on the way back to our
boats, playing “keep it off the ground”, batting it back and forth to each
other. When that fun wore off, it was time to get back on the water, with
another surf launching.
Trent
helping Stephen with his launch (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
As
you get closer to Kingston and round Upper Small Point, be careful of confused
seas. They are especially bad in this area, with the swells hitting the cliffs
and coming back to sea. I was a little nervous, given my limited experience, but
we made it around the head without any difficulties. Once you are around that
point, the real beauty of the area is about to be discovered. There are several
small coves cut out of the cliffs, ripe for exploring. And, to our delight,
there were several caves that we could go into and have a look around. This is
all concentrated in a small area behind Kingston.
Stephen and Trent rounding Upper Small Point (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Trent inside one sea cave (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Trent
entering another sea cave (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
After
exploring the caves and coves we paddled further up the coast. All of a sudden
we heard a loud roar, like a whale blowing. There on the shoreline was a spout
of water shooting about 20 feet into the air. It was coming from a small cave in
the cliff side. When the water is pushed into the care, it is forced out through
the top of the cave opening. I think the tide has to be just right for this to
occur. We were there at about 2pm that day and it was perfect. Very similar to
“The Spout” on the southern shore, near Bay Bulls, but this came out
horizontally over the water, rather than straight up on the shore, as “The
Spout” does. It was amazing. We paddled right up to it for a little salt water
shower. Stephen got some fantastic video of it in action. I’m not sure if
these pictures will do it justice though. This was by far the biggest treat of
the day.
Paddling
further along the coast, doing more exploring, Trent found a small sea bird that
was injured and near death. He picked
it up using his paddle and checked it out. It was in very bad shape, with its
wings mangled. It made no effort to get away from him. After a quick discussion
we decided to try and rescue it, by bringing it to an SPCA. Unfortunately, after
only 5 minutes resting on Trent’s spray skirt, it died. I’m not sure if our
interference had anything to do with it, but our hearts were in the right place.
Its too bad the little fellow couldn’t make it.
Trent
carefully examines the injured seabird (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
There
was one more sea cave we discovered that day, and you could paddle through it to
the other side as well. This was at Lower Small Point. Again, you have to watch
for swells, and the tide has to be just right, so be careful when attempting it.
It was at this point, we decided to turn back towards Spout Cove.
Another
sea cave at Lower Small Point (thumbnail
- click on image to enlarge)
After
about 45 minutes of paddling we were back on the beach at Lower Small Point, and
before to long, we have to kayaks loaded up and are back on the road headed for
home. We were trying to decide whether to keep this paddling gem to ourselves or
spread the word. Luckily for you, we decided on the latter. It is just too
pretty of a paddle not to share it with others.